


What Dreams May Come

by Eliliyah



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ballroom Dancing, Bargaining, Because there are two sides to Klaus, Bloody Vengeance, Compulsion, Emotional Sex, F/M, Fine Dining, Fluff, Graphic Description, Graphic Violence, Happily Ever After, Happy Ending, Love, Mentions of past sexual assault, Monster!Klaus, Oral Sex, Protective!Klaus, Smut, Torture, Vaginal Sex, and one of them is a fluffball, anti-Damon, bloodsharing, but then fluff, dinner and dancing, murder fluff, wine tasting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 16:33:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30091944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliliyah/pseuds/Eliliyah
Summary: Canon-Divergent after 4x08. When Caroline realizes Elena is sired, she goes to the one man she knows will care what Damon did to her before she turned. Already planning his revenge, Klaus is only too eager to exact justice in exchange for another date. Giving in to her own darkness and knowing exactly what will happen, she agrees to make a deal with the devil.
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Comments: 386
Kudos: 149
Collections: Klaroline Events





	1. Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Certified_Ceraunophile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Certified_Ceraunophile/gifts).



A/N Welcome, readers! I wrote this darkness for Klaroline AU Season 2021, Week One: Rebellion. One of the many things that bothered me about TVD canon was the way everyone just forgot that Damon was a rapist. I decided to fix that. This is dark but also has lots of fluff and smut with a proper ending for Klaroline. It takes place after the eighth episode of season four but before the hybrid massacre. Please let me know what you think! (No concrit please!)

NOTE: I decided to break this up into five chapters, each from 3k-5k. I did this so anyone who wants to skip the torture and smut can just omit those chapters. I'll be updating every day for five days and posting warnings in the author's notes. Enjoy!

_This story is dedicated to my dear friend, Srishti, the bravest rebel I know and my light in the dark._

* * *

**Chapter One – Take Arms Against a Sea of Troubles**

_To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there's the rub, for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause. There's the respect that makes calamity of so long life._ Hamlet, Act III Scene I – William Shakespeare

Was there anyone on the planet more selfish and sanctimonious than Elena Gilbert? If there was, Caroline Forbes hadn't met her. What had begun as a fun girl's night spiraled into a shit storm with a few words out of her _alleged_ best friend's mouth.

"So, what exactly was it about him that made _you_ jump right into bed with him as soon as you met him?"

_That bitch._

Compulsion. _That's_ what made her jump into bed with Damon Salvatore… And when she'd tried to escape, he'd held her down, bitten her, terrorized her, _used_ her and then compelled her again to keep her mouth shut and smile all the while. As if that wasn't bad enough, in rare moments of lucidity when she'd cry and ask if he was going to kill her, _he said yes._ And then he'd compel her to smile again. The worst of all was how he made her forget it all ever happened.

And then, she died.

And now, she remembered.

Oh sure, she'd called him out on it right after she'd turned, but then she'd let it go for the sake of her friends. That was when the nightmares started. Because living through all over again after her death wasn't brutal enough, she'd wake up with the feel of his skin on hers. Her neck burned like he'd sunk his fangs in her all over again as he drained her nearly to the point of death before having his way with her body. Covered in sweat, she'd shake her head and remind herself that it was over. She wasn't weak anymore. She never had to go through that again. But she still had to see him. _All. The. Time._

And then Elena fell in love with him.

Not only that, but she threw it right back in Caroline's face. _That bitch._ Her words that night had been enough. The baby vampire had finally reached her breaking point. She'd gone home and completely fallen apart, tears threatening to choke her as she once again relived every degrading, horrifying, disgusting memory of all that her own personal monster had done to her. _And how no one had cared._

Once her sobs subsided, her mind started spinning. She imagined all the ways she could keep him away from Elena, keep what had happened to her from happening to the doppelganger. And it would happen because Damon Salvatore couldn't help himself and that would never change. There was only one man who could help make her fantasies a reality. After all, he'd asked to hear about her hopes and dreams. And her dreams were dark indeed.

Some would have called it revenge; she called it justice.

"Hello, love." Klaus Mikaelson held the door open as he greeted her pleasantly, welcoming her inside with an arrogant smirk plastered beneath his gruff stubble. "Come to distract me for your friend's next little plot of treachery?" he asked lightly with raised brows, as though he was happy to see her regardless of her intentions.

Caroline walked into the freshly renovated mansion with purpose, chin held defiantly high. "Actually, no. Elena and Damon are too busy fucking and Stefan's too busy moping to plan anything. They don't even know I'm here." She took a step forward, cleavage clearly visible in her little black dress as she stood chest to chest with the mighty hybrid. "This visit is our little secret," she whispered seductively, voice a sultry whisper as she stared up at him coquettishly.

Klaus let his eyes fall to her chest and linger on her breasts for just a moment too long before meeting her sapphire eyes, searching for any sign of deception. Finding none for a change, he quirked a curious brow, upper lip curling into a sly smirk. "Well, now I'm intrigued. Care for a drink?" He held out his arm, inviting her to follow him to the living room.

"Love one." She walked ahead of him, the heels of her strappy sandals clicking against the marble floors. She _definitely_ needed a little liquid courage to get through this.

Once they were seated in front of his fireplace, sitting only a few feet apart on his plush sofa, the hybrid took a sip of his bourbon and studied her closely. She was dolled up and sexier than he'd ever seen her, appearance clearly meant to entice him in nothing but a tiny scrap of fabric posing as a dress and shiny black stilettos. And yet, she'd said her friends had no idea she was there. It could have been a lie, of course, but there was a certain defiance in the way she carried herself that told him if she was plotting something, it wasn't against him. "Since I'm not flattering myself that you're here on a sudden whim to see me, what can I do for you, sweetheart?" he asked in his smooth British accent.

The blonde turned to face him, crossing one knee delicately over the other. She swirled her bourbon in her glass as she smiled at him seductively. "Actually, you're _exactly_ who I need to see." He raised his brow at her use of the word 'need.' "I'm here to tell you a story."

Klaus leaned back against the couch, one arm thrown casually across the back so his fingers were just inches from her golden curls. He looked her over curiously. She seemed genuine, if a little bit anxious and less composed than she usually behaved around him; and he'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't interested in hearing anything she had to say. She could have been there to read him the phone book for all he cared and he'd have memorized every number just to prove he'd paid attention. Trying to remain aloof, he shrugged one shoulder and tilted his head to the side. "I'm listening."

Caroline inhaled a shaky breath and finished her drink, setting down the glass. "It started when Stefan came back to town." She looked down at her hands fiddling in her lap as she steeled herself to open up to Klaus. She didn't think he'd judge her for telling the truth, and he deserved to have all the information if he was going to do this for her. And she wanted to be honest with him. She never had been before, but maybe this was her chance to change that. "I was insecure and jealous that he liked Elena more than me. And then, I met his brother."

For the next hour, she recounted every degrading horror Damon had put her through in as much graphic detail as possible, willing herself not to cry when she revealed that she'd been sixteen and human. She had to pause several times to rapidly blink moisture out of her eyes, but he didn't comment or make her feel childish for being vulnerable in front of him. Never once did he interrupt or tell her she'd done anything wrong, or suggest she should have done something differently. The more she talked, the more she felt comfortable sharing. Before long, she held nothing back until there were no secrets left between them.

Throughout her tale, she watched with secret delight as Klaus' rage began to grow. It started with a slight tightening of his jaw and progressed to the point that he gripped his glass of bourbon so tightly that the crystal shattered in his hand. He ignored the pain as his skin knitted itself back together, his eyes never leaving her face even when she had to look away. His irises bled with burning gold by the time she finished, black veins spreading uncontrollably down his face.

It was exactly what she'd been counting on.

Caroline finally stopped talking and waited patiently for the hybrid to respond. He inhaled a deep breath as he willed his monster back into its cage. To aid in that endeavor, he grabbed the nearby bottle of bourbon and chugged several shots, the burn of liquor down his throat soothing him. Setting it back down, he folded his hands in his lap and tilted his head to the side as he considered the woman sitting next to him. He already knew the answer – they both did – but he asked the question anyway. "Why come to me?"

The baby vampire narrowed her eyes. "You know why."

Klaus chuckled darkly, his smirk more predatory than ever; it gave her chills and a thrill of excitement, the air suddenly warm against her barely covered skin. "I do, but I want to hear you say it. What _exactly_ is it that you want from me, sweetheart?" His voice was silk and held no trace of judgment but plenty of excitement. Whether she said it or not, she knew he would never let this go. And he knew she knew it, too. She was the one person on the planet who could play him and live to tell the tale. Although, in all fairness, he knew what she was doing and allowed it, making him complicit. She could get up and leave, but why would she? _He_ was the one person on the planet who could hear her story and still see Damon as the bad guy. Whatever she wanted, he would give her. All she had to do was ask.

"Elena is sired to him," she shared with a grimace, hoping he wasn't actually going to make her voice her request aloud.

"I'm aware."

Caroline rolled her eyes with a huff. "Of course you are," she muttered under her breath, irritated how he always knew more than he let on. He couldn't help but smirk at her annoyance. "I can't let what happened to me happen to my best friend."

Klaus flashed her an angelic smile, dimples creased into his cheeks. "And what would you like me to do about that?"

Realizing he was not only not letting her off the hook but thoroughly enjoying watching her squirm, the forever teenager inhaled a deep breath and squared her shoulders, straightening her spine and crossing her arms over her chest so her breasts would pop. "I want him gone."

The hybrid quirked his brow at her candor. "You want me to kill Damon Salvatore?" he asked with an amused smile playing about his raspberry lips, as though this was some new game he couldn't wait to play.

"That isn't what I said." Caroline shook her head, golden curls swaying side to side. "I admit that I've thought about it; but his death will bring me no peace. I want _justice_ ," she clarified firmly, more to herself than to him. "Karma may be a bitch, but sometimes, it needs a little nudge. I want him to know what it's like to have nightmares about a monster that can't be killed. I want him to live the rest of his life looking over his shoulder the way that _I_ do." She looked away, gulping down her emotions for the fiftieth time that night.

Klaus moved closer, his face softening for the first time since she'd begun her story. He wanted to tell her that she would never have to look over her shoulder again, that he would always be there to protect her, but how? He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away to pour another bourbon, blinking the moisture out of her eyes. She finished it in a single gulp before turning back to him. "How you do that is up to you. Will you?"

Klaus leaned back against the plush cushions, picking up a fresh glass off the table behind them and pouring himself another drink. He took a sip and licked the liquor off his lips, noting the way her breathing hitched as she watched him carefully. He slowly brought his gaze up to meet hers, dragging his eyes over her legs, tiny black dress stopping high on her thighs with a slit in the side that went ever higher. "What's in it for me?"

Caroline stiffened. She hadn't considered that he would want something in return, had assumed he'd be so filled with rage that he'd run off right then and there. The feral gleam in his eyes told her he had other plans. "What do you want?" she asked with faux confidence in her voice, a slight blush warming her cheeks as just the slightest tingle of anticipation filled her lower belly.

Klaus held her gaze as he lay all his cards out on the table. "Spend the night with me and-."

" _Seriously?"_ she spat out, eyes widening in shock as she cut him off. " _That's_ your price? Sex?"

Something dark passed behind his eyes, all signs of flirtation lost from his handsome visage. "After the story you just told me, do you really think I'd bargain for your body?" The look of confusion on the baby vampire's face told him that was all she could think of. "I may be many things, but I'm not that particular breed of monster. Do you really think that low of me?"

Caroline could hear the hurt in his voice; she instantly felt guilty. Shaking her head, she admittedly quietly, "Actually, no. That's why I came to you. That kinda caught me off guard." She tucked a golden tendril behind her ear and peered up at him sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

Klaus settled back against the couch, satisfied with her answer. "I meant it literally. What I wish is for you to give me a real chance. Spend an evening with me. Get to know me." She hesitated, sucking her lower lip between her teeth as she tried hard not to think about how much she wanted to say yes for reasons she wasn't ready to admit to herself, let alone the man sitting next to her. "Part of you must already trust me if you came to me with this," he pointed out. She looked down at her drink, both of them knowing it was true. In fact, he was probably the only person left in Mystic Falls she _could_ trust. The only one who never saw her as second best. The one who would do anything to spend time with her, up to and including breaking a man so thoroughly that all that remained was the ghost of a shell. He would buy her a dress, and he would sacrifice a hybrid, and he would run Damon Salvatore out of town.

"One night is all I ask. Just you and me, alone. No movies with seats between us. No beauty pageants. No balls. If there are anymore nights after that, it will be up to you." He watched her shrewdly and could see the wheels spinning, smiling to himself at how obvious it was that she would accept. "So, what do you say, sweetheart? Do we have a deal?"

A deal with the devil. Could she do it? Could she really do something so dark as to sign a man's, well, not death warrant _per se._ Torture warrant? Yes, Klaus would most definitely torture Damon for his sins, and he would revel in the misery he wrought without a shred of remorse or an ounce of regret. Caroline had no illusions that they would simply have a little chat, that Damon would see the error of his ways and leave town quietly. No, it would be dirty; it would be ugly; and Klaus would prolong it as much as possible. Could she agree to that? To rebel against her friends so thoroughly?

"I have one condition." She looked over at him, holding back a sigh as she forced herself to be strong. " _Never_ tell me. I don't want to know what you did, or how you did it. All I want to know is that he's gone. And I want him alive."

A devious smile curled the corners of his lips. Oh, his Caroline. So innocent and pure as she fought against her own darkness. As if not knowing the specifics would make her less complicit. It was a beautiful lie she'd spun for herself, and one he couldn't help but indulge. If there was room for only one angel and one devil, he would gladly keep the horns to grant her a halo. He picked up her tiny hand and gently brushed his lips against the back of her knuckles, his breath hot against her skin as her cheeks flushed.

"We have a deal."

* * *

A/N Please let me know what you think! (No concrit please!) See you tomorrow!


	2. His Quietus Make With a Bare Bodkin

A/N Welcome back to day two of rebellion week! Thank you to those of you who left reviews. I love you and can't wait to hear what you think of this! (No concrit please!) It's so dark that I may have scared myself a little bit, but hopefully you enjoy it anyway. Read it with the lights on.

WARNING: This is _seriously_ graphic. Like, _Criminal Minds_ meet _Hannibal_ graphic. There is extremely detailed Klaus on Damon torture about to happen. Do not read if this bothers you!

_For Srishti._

PS Did I mention there is gratuitous violence coming up?

* * *

**Chapter Two – His Quietus Make With a Bare Bodkin**

"Hello, Damon."

The eldest Salvatore's spine straightened as soon as he heard Klaus' voice come from the shadows just beyond his front door. It made the hairs on the back of his neck instinctively stand up and everything in his mind told him to run. Even with his vampire speed, he couldn't react fast enough before he fell to the ground, neck snapped with the hybrid standing triumphantly over him, an amused smile beneath his stubble as blood dribbled down his chin.

When Damon woke up, he was in a dank and gloomy cave lit by a few lanterns scattered around the dirt floor. He knew this place. Evil happened here, and evil's a a distinctive smell: mildew mixed with death and desperation. The still, stale air was chilly and thick with humidity in the December afternoon. If he used his heightened vision, he could see bloody scratch marks on the far wall and holes where old sets of chains had been bolted. It was off the Lockwood tunnels and had only one purpose: torture. His heart began to race when he tried to move and realized he was chained to the stone wall with iron cuffs he knew to be laced with magic, his ankles in a similar state. The next thing he noticed was a dull burn on his neck beneath an iron collar locking him in place. It was unmistakably the venom of a hybrid bite working its way into his system. And then he remembered.

_Klaus._

The trapped vampire didn't realize he'd breathed the word aloud in a terrified whisper until he saw a smug grin emerge from the darkness. The Original appeared slowly, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze and walk that of a predator enjoying the hunt. _No one knew he was here._ He'd just returned from New Orleans when his neck was bitten and simultaneously snapped. Damon gulped, the horrifying realization that no one was coming to save him settling as a weight in his chest. _He was the prey._ Still, he squared his shoulders and refused to show fear. "What game are you playing at, Klaus?" he snarled venomously.

Klaus smiled at his new plaything's bravado. The condemned was putting on a fearless facade… for now. He would change that. It was Friday afternoon and his date with Caroline wasn't until Saturday evening. By the time the last possible minute had past, Damon would be a trembling puddle of flesh begging for death beneath his boots. Only then would he tell him that the plan was for him to live all along. He would live, he would run, and he would sleep with one eye open. He would never know a moment's peace. Because if Klaus ever found him again, he wouldn't be as merciful.

"I thought we'd have a little chat." His voice was low and silky, laced with faux pleasantry that sent shivers racing down his prey's spine. The sound of his steel-toed boots echoed throughout the cave until they were standing face to face. His deceptive smile faded as his eyes bled gold and ice seeped into his tone. "About Caroline."

Damon's eyes widened, his breath catching when he realized what this was about. The cold fingers of dread clawed at him as a rock replaced his gut with absolute horror. It was the hour of his reckoning, the day he would pay for all he'd gotten away with. _The day he thought would never come._ He tried to be brave and defiant, but he couldn't keep his voice from shaking as he quaked before his own personal angel of death. "Listen, man, I don't know what she told you but-"

"Yes, you do." Klaus pulled a hand from behind his back and used a single finger to push Damon's chin up, closing his mouth hard enough to break a tooth. "And if you lie to me again, I'll rip your tongue from your throat and feed it to you." He smiled again, dimples etched into his cherubic facade. The vampire's lips clamped shut, eyes narrowing as he glared daggers at his captor. He knew the hybrid wanted to see his fear, but he would not grant him that satisfaction. He would die with his head held high, knowing he'd denied the bastard the pleasure.

Klaus had the audacity to laugh at the unadulterated loathing coming his way, the sound both evil and jolly. "You know what I find fascinating about the modern era?" he asked conversationally, as though they were two friends chatting over coffee. "Forensic science. It's so interesting, all the theories the humans come up with about why we monsters do the things we do. The food can be so clever sometimes." He pulled something from the waistband at the back of his jeans and held it up. "Do you know what they say about knives?"

Damon sucked in a deep breath at the sight of the lantern light glinting off the sharp, steel hunter's blade hovering just below his eyes. "They're phallic symbols. They say stabbing simulates the act of sex when serial killers are impotent. I, of course, have no such problem. I _would_ do exactly what was done to her, but you're not my type." He gave him a playful wink, malice darkening his handsome features. "But, it seems only fitting that you experience something similar to what you put Caroline through. Penetration is penetration, after all. So, how about it?" He dragged the serrated metal down Damon's cheek, a bead of blood following in his wake. "Shall we have a simulation?"

The hybrid didn't give his victim a chance to answer before plunging the blade deep in his belly and twisting it, drawing forth a guttural scream that began even before he finishing slicing Damon's shirt in two. Klaus chuckled as he watched the wound knit itself back together before doing it again in a different spot. He impaled each of the vampire's internal organs, reveling in his bellows of agony. He particularly enjoyed reaching in to tear out his liver. He had a real fondness for livers.

After a few dozen or so strikes, Klaus took a step back to admire his handwork, quite pleased with himself. The bound man's healing was slower now, the burning venom inhibiting his supernatural abilities. "Tell me, was it good for you?" he teased playfully, a jaunty spring to his step. "I'll admit that it's not _as_ fun as sexual penetration, but I found it quite satisfying. How does it compare with what you did to Caroline?"

Damon looked up at the hybrid with pure hatred, head hanging limply between his shoulders as blood trailed down his abdomen, slicking his jeans and pooling at his bare feet. "I didn't do anything to her that she didn't want," he growled defiantly, a crimson river trickling down his chin.

Klaus' smiled widened like a child on Christmas morning, as though that was exactly what he wanted to hear. "Did she really?" His voice was deceptively soothing, eyes alight with jolly mischief; the vampire gulped, instantly regretting what they both knew to be a lie. "Or, did you _compel_ her to want it?" Damon's mouth went suddenly dry, heart hammering in his chest. "Compulsion is a funny thing, isn't it?"

"You can't compel me," he spat triumphantly. "I'm on vervain."

The hybrid's lips quirked up in an amused twitch as he took a step closer. "Actually, you're not. It was switched it out with a clever decoy days ago." He reveled in the way Damon's face dropped, eyes bulging in horror. "Caroline is such a pretty little distraction, isn't she?" he teased with a playful wink. "You really shouldn't have underestimated her. I never have." He took another step forward until they were nose to nose. "You're mine, Damon." He let his pupils dilate as his compulsion began. "And I warned you what would happen if you lied."

The Original gripped the vampire's cheeks and spoke slowly and clearly. "You _want_ nothing more than to open your mouth and be incredibly still." He obeyed, sweat beading down his temple. With a wicked gleam in his eye, Klaus reached in and ripped out Damon's tongue. "And now, you _want_ to swallow it." The vampire's screams of agony were muffled only by the sound of his bloody muscle being shoved down his throat as he was forced to choke it down, tears streaming down his face as he gagged on his own organ.

Klaus took a step back, observing with a merry twinkle in his eye as Damon cried and sputtered in unspeakable anguish. Speaking without a tongue was impossible, after all. He clasped his hands behind his back and rocked back and forth on his heels, tone pleasant as he flashed his charming dimples. "Tell me again how she _wanted_ it."

It was at that point that the vampire first wet himself. Klaus took a step back, nose upturned. "Hmm. Perhaps you need a break," he mused, one bloody knuckle on his chin. "No matter. We have plenty of time before the venom claims you. I'll just go and come back. You see, I plan to enjoy this, and we've only just begun. I've many more fun toys for us to play with." He patted Damon condescendingly on the head. "I'm a busy man. Makes me quick to go for the kill, I admit. It's been far too long since I indulged myself, and I think I deserve a treat, don't you? The last time I tortured an enemy so thoroughly, they didn't even _have_ chainsaws."

The last thing the bloody prisoner saw before he passed out was his jailer's smug grin.

Klaus didn't leave, of course. There was no world in which he was taking a chance on his new toy escaping. It wasn't that he didn't trust Caroline not to go running to her friends; it was that he didn't trust her conscience not to change her mind and come running after him. She was so innocent, so pure; she didn't need to see this. His blood boiled when he thought about all she'd revealed to him of Damon's torture. It had been prolonged for weeks before Stefan did the bare minimum and got his beloved on vervain. Unfortunately, they didn't have that kind of time. Night was just beginning to fall; he had less than 24 hours before he had to meet the baby vampire for their date. He smiled to himself as he thought about it, but it wasn't until Damon began to stir that glee really took hold.

It was time to play.

"I see your tongue has regrown." Mirth danced behind his topaz eyes as he approached the bound man, hands clasped behind his back. "That's the joy of torturing vampires; we're such durable creatures. I could pluck out your eyeballs and feed them to you only to have them regrow a few hours later. I've learned that limbs will stay gone, but organs? Well, those I can tear out one by one; except hearts, of course. Tell me," he continued in that same infuriatingly casual tone, "have you any idea how far intestines can stretch?" He pulled out the knife from behind his back again, still bloody from when he'd so happily simulated a phallus. "Let's find out, shall we?"

"Man, why haven't you just fucking killed me?" Damon groaned, dry swallowing as he hung his head in dismay.

Klaus' merry laughter echoed off the jagged walls of the dank cave. "Where would be the fun in that?" He sliced into the vampire's belly and pulled out his large intestine, letting his innards spill down the front of his jeans. He waited with a smile on his face for the screams to subside before continuing. "But feel free to beg for mercy. I may kill you just a tad sooner if you ask me nicely."

"Fuck off," Damon spat, blood dribbling down his chin as his eyelids fluttered, consciousness threatening to slip from him again. The fever raging through his system was stronger now. He silently prayed for the hallucinations to come and carry him away from this evil, but every time he started to fall into the abyss of madness, pain pulled him back to the reality that _there was no escape_.

"Defiant until the end," the hybrid chuckled, shaking his head. "I like it. Makes the torture that much more interesting when my toys put on a good show." He deftly hooked the edge of the knife around a small intestine and gave it a playful tug, giddy at the grunts escaping Damon's tired lips. "Tell me, what did you do when Caroline defied you?" He pulled the viscera to the opposite wall of the cave, demonstrating just how far it could stretch. "Or, did you break her so thoroughly that she stopped fighting back?" Damon sneered but wisely didn't respond. Klaus slowly stalked back over to him until they were close enough that his breath was hot against the vampire's cheek. "You only _thought_ you broke her. Probably even thought you'd gotten away with all you did to her." He tsked, shaking his head. "So arrogant. You really are a narcissist; has anyone ever told you that? I am curious though; perhaps you can indulge me. How _did_ you get Elena to forget that you raped and tortured her best friend? Did you compel her, too?"

"I didn't compel Elena," he gritted out beneath clenched teeth. At Klaus' quirked brow, he gulped and quickly added, "About Caroline."

A joyous smile slowly spread across the hybrid's face. "Ah, but you _did_ compel her. Kudos for not denying it."

"Not to sleep with me. She did that on her own," he whispered, desperately clinging to the memory of the woman he loved to survive all that was happening to him.

Klaus laughed again. It was a dark sound that filled the cavern with pure evil. "No, you used the sire bond for that."

Damon's head shot up, immediately spinning as he continued to lose blood from his spilled intestines splayed all over the ground. The hybrid had left them hanging out of his abdomen, thus preventing the wound from closing. "You know about that?" His voice was hoarse as his throat cracked from dehydration.

The Original smiled at him, amusement shining in his eyes as he rocked back on his heels. "Oh, come now. Wasn't it obvious? Did you really delude yourself into believing she would ever choose you over Stefan if she were in her right mind?" He chuckled at the way Damon's breathing hitched. This was better than anything he could do to him physically. He was an artist when it came to torture, having perfected his technique over the centuries, but emotional sadism was his favorite game. Nothing cut deeper than the truth. "I admit that I knew it right away, but my Caroline was quite quick figuring it out for herself. So clever, that one. Such a shame that you so thoroughly underestimated her. She's so much more than a pretty face."

"So, that's why you're doing this?" Damon scoffed. "You're fucking Blondie now?"

Klaus shrugged. "Not yet, but I have high hopes for her." He didn't bother to stop the boyish grin that slowly spread across his face at the prospect of Caroline and their evening together. Only his excitement about seeing her could outweigh his thirst for bloody vengeance. "We have a date tomorrow night, something you should be grateful for." He wagged the knife at him tauntingly. "You and I are on limited time, my friend. If not for my prior engagement, I would drag this out much longer. You see, unlike you, I do not _force_ women to sleep with me, nor would I stoop so low as to use a sire bond to encourage affections." He held the hand holding the knife over his heart, dimples on display. "I'm a gentleman."

"Gentleman torture?" Damon huffed scornfully, struggling to keep his eyes open as sweat covered his sallow skin, soaking his clothes and leaving him damp and slick with gore.

"No. _Monsters_ torture. Luckily for you, I happen to be both." He took a step forward and dragged the knife down Damon's belly, stopping just above the button on his jeans, malice shining behind his eyes as their gazes locked. "Would you like to see how _monstrous_ I can be?" His breath was soft against the vampire's face as he sliced his penis in two, popping out each testicle with the tip of his blade and crushing them beneath his boot. The vampire screamed until his head slumped between his shoulders.

Taking a step back, Klaus sighed grumpily in disappointment. "Well, now you've gone and passed out again," he complained to the empty cavern. He patted the unconscious man's face as his boots squished in the spilled viscera. "Rest now. We'll play again later."

They continued in this way well into the next morning. Halfway through the night, Klaus grew bored with the knife and moved on to a hammer. A hot poker was next, the smell of boiling eyeballs bringing about his victim's violent vomiting. Unfortunately, the venom was working quicker than anticipated with all the blood loss. Damon was passing out faster each time, leaving the Original thoroughly dissatisfied. He barely lasted an hour on the Judas Cradle before soiling himself and losing consciousness once more. That's when Klaus decided to move onto the rack. The sounds of tendons popping filled the air as his heart sang with joy.

"How do you feel about electricity?" the hybrid asked conversationally as he shocked Damon with a cattle prod. "I find that fire can be dangerous with vampires. One minute it's all fun and games, and the next your toy simply burns to a crisp. It's very unfortunate." He zapped him again and the smell of spilled bowels was renewed. "Oh, do have a little dignity, mate. You _can_ ask me for a bucket, you know. I'm not without mercy."

Damon openly wept with the next shock. "Just fucking kill me already," he heaved pathetically as tears spilled down his bloody cheeks, arms and legs bolted to the rack with railroad ties through his ankles and wrists.

Klaus took a step forward, a Cheshire grin on his face as his eyes flashed hybrid. "Oh, are you begging now? Please, go ahead. I _love_ this part."

"What do you want me to say?" the vampire sniffled, all dignity gone from him now. "You want me to admit what I did was wrong? Want me to say sorry?" His words came out in tiny gasps as he struggled for breath, the venom overtaking his lungs. "Fine. I'm _sorry._ "

"You're not sorry for what you did," Klaus scoffed, electrocuting him again. "Only that I found out about it."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Damon inhaled a shaky breath, each gulp of air crackling in his chest. He knew he didn't have long now, and he was determined to have the last word. "Sorry I didn't just kill the bitch."

For the first time, Klaus lost his cool. Roaring in anger, he lunged forward, dropping the cattle prod. The first blow of his fist cracked Damon's jaw, his eye socket soon following as shards of shattered teeth scattered across the floor. He didn't stop feeding his rage until long after the bolts in his prey's wrists had given way, slicing his hands in two before he fell to the ground and landed in a pile of his own excrement, most of his bones in pieces. Still, the hybrid kicked him in the head hard enough for some of his brain to spill out for good measure before spitting on him in disgust.

The Original's chest was heaving, gold burning his irises. In that moment, he seriously debated just letting the venom take hold. But no. That would be too merciful. He didn't want Damon to die. He wanted him to suffer _. And he would never break a promise to Caroline._ He ripped out the iron from his victim's ankles as he collected his thoughts. By the time the vampire came to, they were nearly out of time.

"Well," Klaus huffed, looking down at his watch, the face of it smeared with gore, "it appears we're out of time. I suppose I should heal you now."

Damon managed to hold his head up in shock, a spark of hope behind his eyes for the first time. "You're letting me live?" he choked out, astonished.

The hybrid shrugged. "That was always the plan." He smirked as his words took hold and his toy realized he'd never been in real danger, that it had always been a damn _game_. "Caroline asked me to. It's quite sad, really. If not for her best friend being sired to you, she may never have come to me. It wasn't until she saw someone she loved in danger that she trusted someone she thought might _finally_ care about her pain enough to do something about it."

Klaus tutted as he stepped around a pile of vomit, nose upturned at the foul stench. "Oh, she thinks she's playing upon my affections for her to protect her friend, but only because I am allowing her to do so," he continued merrily, talking more to himself than the vermin at his feet. "Your fate was sealed the moment your name past her pretty little lips. What happens to the doppelganger could not possibly matter less to me now that her blood is useless. But oh, sweet Caroline. Ever the champion of the oppressed, she cares, and so must I. I don't know _why_ when your most recent plaything couldn't be bothered to recall my darling little baby vampire's torture, but I suppose devils never do understand angels, do we? She's far too good for the likes of you and Elena Gilbert, but no matter. I'm more than happy to exact revenge on her behalf, not that she would call it that."

Klaus shook his head as he thought about how little his beloved thought of herself. He would change that in time. He smirked at the way Damon could barely keep his eyes open and knew how much his monologue was adding to the already abundant torture. But, well, every king loves an audience; and it wasn't as though this victim would ever share his secrets. He would make sure of it. Grinning, he continued his diatribe knowing full well his victim would have preferred death to hearing one more word fall off his vicious tongue. "She's kidding herself into calling this justice; isn't that just adorable? How precious her mind is spinning such beautiful lies. Since she lived, so shall you, but only because that was her wish." He sighed at that. "I find I can deny her nothing, regardless of how strongly I disagree. Were it up to me, your head would be on a pike where Elena herself would find it and know that her betrayal was the cause of your glorious suffering. I'm really quite proud of the work we've done together. I outdid myself, if I do say so. How unfortunate that no one but you and I will ever know what transpired here today. My sweet Caroline requested I keep the specifics to myself. So pure, that one."

The hybrid chuckled at Damon's renewed bout of vomiting when he kicked his gut. "It's going to take me years to undo the damage you've wrought, to convince her that retribution was warranted not for what you would have inevitably done to another, but for what was _already_ done to her." He paced in circles as he expounded on his beautiful angel's cruel fate, occasionally shattering a rib when Damon's grunts of pain annoyed him. There was something immeasurably gratifying about forcing his victim to listen, knowing any act of defiance may cost him the cure. That knowledge spurred him on as he continued his pacing and endless ranting.

"Fortunately, I'm always up for a challenge, and she is by far more worthy of my time than you and that wretched doppelganger. Unlike you, I will not simply tire of her and move on once my appetites are sated. No, I will keep her at my side and eventually, she will see herself for the queen she truly is. Luckily for you, she already has the benevolence of a beloved ruler, which is the _only_ reason I shall grant you your freedom." His smile reappeared as his dimples emerged. "But I wouldn't count your good fortune just yet." He rolled Damon over with his boot to look him in the eye as he smiled deviously, one foot pressing down against his chest hard enough to crack his sternum. "Everything comes with a price. Think carefully before you pay it." He looked down at the bloody ground, urine and excrement slicked beneath his boots mixing in with crushed organs. He bit into his wrist and let a a stream of crimson liquid spill right into the lumpy puddle. "There's your cure. Take it or leave it."

Looking at his only salvation swimming in the evidence of his misery, Damon considered just letting go rather than grant Klaus one more ounce of satisfaction. But then he thought of Elena. He had to get back to her, to protect her at all cost. And so, he used his last bit of strength to roll over and began to drink while his own personal monster watched his humiliation with a merry twinkle in his eyes. The vampire gagged as he licked the ground, knowing he had no other option. He'd never felt so defeated and degraded in his life. Every inch of his body ached, many of his wounds still open and bleeding. Still, he found the will to live and kept slurping until he felt the venom leaving his system and the fever raging through him begin to cool.

Klaus crouched down, dimples emerging beneath his gruff stubble as he watched Damon lap up the blood from a pool of his own fluids. He waited patiently for the bite on his neck to close itself before roughly grabbing the vampire's head, ripping him up by his raven hair to face him. "You _really_ should have thought this one through," he began darkly, letting his pupils dilate. "I have instructions to let you live, not to let you live happily." His voice was low and hypnotic as he carried out the final part of his plan, the part that excited him the most. "You will leave Mystic Falls and you will never return. You will run and you will hide and you will tell no one of our time together. I am extending you this mercy at Caroline's behest, but if I ever find you, my face will be the last thing you see."

The hybrid's eyes gleamed maliciously as he meticulously planned for every loophole. "You will not come back to your old life. You will make no attempt to contact anyone you've ever known, nor will you respond if they contact you. You will not kill yourself, nor will you allow anyone to kill you. You will live with the knowledge that I, Klaus Mikaelson, am coming for you. You won't know when and you won't know how, but every time you see a shadow, you will know what danger may be there lurking. And if you ever again harm a woman, _you_ will come to _me_." He felt a rush at the way Damon's pulse quickened as his compulsion took hold, excitement thrumming through his veins as he whispered one last thing. "And every time you so much as _think_ of Elena Gilbert, you will vividly remember this day."

Patting him playfully on the cheek, the hybrid stood and threw him to the ground one last time, kicking him to the exit with the tip of his bloodied boots. "Now go. Enjoy your immortality. May it last until we meet again." As Damon Salvatore sniveled at his feet, Klaus reveled in the knowledge that he was thoroughly and irrecoverably broken. Caroline's monster was gone, never to be seen again. He watched with glee as his victim slithered away, groaning in agony and openly weeping. Looking down at his watch, he smiled to himself. It was 5:00 PM. He had just enough time to get home and wash off the viscera.

After all, he couldn't keep his date waiting.

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A/N Whelp, never let it be said I didn't warn you. I hope that was as satisfying and terrifying to read as it was to write. Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think! (No concrit, please.)


	3. Perchance to Dream

A/N Welcome back to day three of rebellion week! I'm shocked by how many people have jumped on board the justice train. Thank you to everyone following along and commenting. I hope their date lives up to your expectations and can't wait to hear what you think! (No concrit please.)

If you skipped chapter two, all you need to know is that Klaus kept up his end of the deal, and now Caroline is keeping hers and spending an evening with him. Pure fluffity fluff with a fluffy side of fluff in a red dress.

_For Srishti._

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**Chapter Three – Perchance to Dream**

Listening to a clock tick all day was definitely a circle of hell. Caroline paced around her room hour after hour debating if she should call the whole thing off. Every minute that went by was another decision she had to make. With every single tick, she made the same one; and she questioned it every time. By the time she was ready to leave the house for her date, she was a nervous wreck. Her hands were shaking when she knocked on the door of the Mikaelson mansion at exactly 6:00 PM. Klaus opened it with a charming smile, dimples etched into his cheeks. But when he saw the look of pure anxiety in her eyes, he frowned. "Is it done?" she asked in a shaky whisper, worrying her lower lip.

"I'm a man of my word, love," he answered simply, resisting the urge to sweep her into his embrace and promise her everything would be okay. As she requested, he offered no details; just pulled open the door and held out his arm. "Come in." She breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she crossed the threshold. It was over, she was safe, and there was nothing she could do to change it. All that was left was to keep her end of the bargain with the one man she knew would do anything for her. Just being around Klaus was comforting, especially when he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Caroline was wearing a silky red sequined halter-top dress with a deep V-neck halfway down to her navel, a slit running from mid-thigh to her slim ankles atop sparkly red strappy sandals. Klaus' eyes roved hungrily over the ample view of her cleavage far longer than was decent, upper lip quirked. "You look ravishing in that dress."

"You have _got_ to come up with a new line," she quipped as she rolled her eyes, fighting back a smile. He looked perfect, as usual. He was wearing a well tailored black suit with a dark red tie over a silky black button-down dress shirt. His shoes were shiny and his hair was tousled _just_ right, as though he'd come fresh from the shower and naturally looked like he walked out of GQ.

"It was true the first time I said it just as it is true now. You're beautiful." Her dress exposed her back all the way down to the base of her spine. She wasn't just beautiful; she was a knockout. Forcing himself not to untie the bow holding the front of it together and bare her to him, he placed his hand just above the silky fabric on her back and guided her to the dining room. "Come. Dinner should be ready soon. We can have a glass of wine while we wait." His palm was hot against her skin and it felt _good_. She hadn't planned on dressing so provocatively, but when she saw the dress in the shop window, she couldn't resist. Klaus was the one man she knew would never take advantage of her. She felt sexy and desirable. And above all, she felt powerful.

Klaus could deny it all he wanted, but they both knew she had him wrapped around her little finger. _And she liked it._ She liked feeling strong again, and she liked feeling _safe._ The hybrid pouring her a glass of Zinfandel hadn't just vanquished her own personal demon; he'd borne witness to her suffering. _And he'd cared._ Elena was the first to learn of Damon's abuse when it was happening, her shock and horror at the bite marks still fresh in Caroline's mind. She'd told Stefan, of course, who had done the absolute minimum by getting her on vervain. Both had eventually chocked it up to Damon being Damon and forgotten all about it. Her pain hadn't mattered to them, but it had to Klaus. There was a lightness to his step that told her he had _thoroughly_ enjoyed his day. Unsure how she felt about that, she let the fine red wine roll over her tongue.

"Hmm. Crisp," she mused as she inhaled the fragrance from a crystal Bordeaux glass. "Does it have raspberries in it?"

Klaus chuckled, swirling the deep red liquid around under his nose. "You don't know your wines."

Caroline narrowed her sapphire eyes even as she blushed at the truth of his words. "Well, we haven't all been around since the invention of the grape," she replied with an innocent smile.

"How unfortunate for you, then." He flashed her a boyish grin that was almost shy as he offered, "I could teach you."

"That's a lot to learn in one night," she teased, a small smile playing about her strawberry lips slick with pink gloss. "Already planning a second?"

"Color me hopeful," he answered, flashing her his best dimples. "That, sweetheart, is blackberry with just a hint of cherry." She took another sip and nodded. "Take a moment and hold the glass under your nose and breathe in the aroma. What do you smell?"

Caroline did as he asked. She closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose. "Ummm… alcohol?" She opened her eyes to see him smirking at her.

"Try again, love." Amusement colored his tone as he topped off her glass. "Take a sip this time and swish it around your mouth so it rolls over your taste buds slowly."

Again, she followed his instructions, taking her time to really taste it before swallowing. She held his gaze the entire time, his eyes darkening with lust as he stared at her mouth. "Okay, I can taste the cherry now, but there's something else. It's almost… woody? Like, I can taste the barrel it was made in."

Klaus smiled proudly at her observations. "You're a fast learner. Zinfandels are often known for having a rich, almost smoky taste to them. The barrels are made of oak."

"White oak?" she asked with a mischievous smile.

The hybrid narrowed his eyes, but his smirk didn't entirely fade. "Considering I did you a favor today, you ought to be nicer to me. No plotting my death over dinner."

"That wasn't a favor," she corrected him, lip quirking up playfully. "That was a deal. I promised you one night. I said nothing about plotting your death tomorrow."

"And here I thought we had a future." She chuckled at that, unable to keep from actually smiling. "For our next night, we could go to Italy and continue your education. Tuscany has some wonderful vineyards."

"But you promised me Rome!" she cried in faux indignation, placing her hand over her barely covered chest.

"I'll give you both," he said smugly, pleased that she hadn't denied there would be a second night. Before she could object to his grandiose promises, a chef came in carrying a tray of hors d'oeuvres. "Ah, our first course is served."

" _First_ course?" she asked in surprise. "How many are there?"

"Why, seven of course," he replied as though such extravagance was a normal part of life. "These are goat cheese crostini with fig-olive tapenade. Try one." He picked up one of the decadent crackers and held it up, quirking a challenge brow. Narrowing her eyes at his silent dare, she held his gaze and leaned forward to take the hors d'oeuvres in her mouth, lips lingering against his fingertips as his breathing hitched.

When the goat cheese melted on her tongue, she couldn't hold back a little moan of pleasure. "Ohmigod," she hummed appreciatively."Ohmigod, that might be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth." Klaus' hand holding his own cracker paused halfway up his chest as his pupils dilated with lust. Her eyes went wide when she realized how that must have sounded given that his fingertips had just touched her lips. She quickly took another bite, chewing very slowly as she waited for the awkward moment to pass, a blush staining her cheeks.

Their seven course meal was extravagant, to say the least. After the hors d'oeuvre, there was Tuscan white bean and roasted garlic soup, charred broccoli with shishito peppers and pickled onions, Greek salad, filet mignon, lemon creme brulee served with sweet Moscato, and mignardise. She'd never heard of mignardise, making him chuckle before explaining they were just tiny cookies to go with their tea. She made it through one before setting the second down, placing a hand over her belly.

"If I eat one more bite, I'm going to _explode_."

"Please don't," he commented dryly. "I don't fancy spending the next month cleaning vampire out of the carpet."

Caroline laughed out loud. Klaus was… actually funny. They'd laughed and joked throughout dinner, trading witty banter as he taught her about fine dining and wine. The entire time, he was a perfect gentleman. She could see how his eyes darkened, pupils dilating when she'd say something to taunt him, but he withheld any blatantly sexual comments despite the inordinate number of times he mentally undressed her. It was clear he wanted her to stay the _entire_ night, but he wasn't pushing it. After all, their deal was to give him a chance, and she had. Anything else was up to her.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked curiously, his expression telling her he was genuinely interested in her answer.

"Not even a little bit," she lied with a teasing smile. "After all, you're the big, bad wolf."

Klaus eyed her up and down, letting his eyes linger indecently on the valley of her breasts left bare by the low cut of her dress. "And you're little red riding hood." Blushing, she took a sip of her tea as she covertly rubbed her thighs together under the table. The hybrid flashed her a knowing smile but didn't say anything. Looking over at the grandfather clock in the corner, he noted that it was only 10:00 PM. He still had two hours before the night was officially over.

"Since my company is such a bore, perhaps a little music will entertain you?" He got up from the table and held out his hand.

Caroline schooled her face into one of aloof detachment as she took his outstretched palm. "I suppose it's better than letting your chef fatten me up some more." The hybrid chuckled as he led her into the ballroom. A lively waltz began to play and she rolled her eyes, knowing he probably had a minion somewhere controlling the stereo. "You're so extra," she teased lightly.

"Well, as I recall, you're a very good dancer." He pulled her into his arms, taking one of her hands in his as the other settled on her waist. "After all, you've had training."

The baby vampire rolled her sapphire eyes again as he gracefully swept her around the massive dance floor, airy fabric swirling around her shins. "What, do you take notes so you can remember everything I say?"

Klaus' grip on her waist tightened ever so slightly as they moved together seamlessly. "If I recall the things that come out of your pretty little mouth, perhaps it's because I find them interesting." He was smooth; she'd give him that. It was easily the best date she'd ever been on. He was funny but not hackneyed, charming but not cliche, seductive but not sleazy. She felt comfortable in his arms and let him take the lead as he swished and swirled them about to the rhythm of the music. She was starting to work up a sweat when a slow song finally came on. She was so relieved at the chance to catch her breath that she almost didn't notice when he pulled her flush against his toned chest.

When she felt her bare skin against his button-down shirt and tie, she remembered.

Caroline looked up from beneath long lashes and realized just how close they really were, acutely aware that the light fabric was doing nothing to hide the affect their proximity had on her breasts. All she had to do was lean up just an inch and their lips would touch. He watched her with dilated pupils, flecks of gold blending in with the cerulean as he pulled her closer with a hand on the base of her spine. Blushing, she rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling her cheek against his suit jacket. He tilted his head so his chin was resting against her golden curls as he held her tightly to him, never wanting to let go.

"Hey Klaus?" Her voice was quiet, tone soft, and he could hear the smile on her lips.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I lied." She pulled back, wrapping both of her arms around his neck when she felt his shoulders stiffen. "I am enjoying myself." She visibly saw the muscles in his face relax as he smiled down at her, both hands touching the smooth skin of her back as they danced in slow circles.

Klaus tilted his head to the side as he considered her. Her lips had lost their gloss and were a beautiful and natural pink. He longed to close the space between them and was quite certain she would let him, but he refrained. Instead, he asked, "Was it worth the risk?"

"Well, the night's not over," she teased. "I haven't decided yet."

The hybrid exhaled through his nostrils, but his tone was more amused than annoyed. "Even after I took care of that pesky little problem of yours, you still can't give me a break."

"Nope," she replied, popping the 'p' in a way that had his eyes darkening all over again. She felt that same tension growing between them and an undeniable coil warming her lower belly. Resisting the desire to kiss him, she lay her cheek against his shoulder once more. He sighed; she had so much fire. But really, he wouldn't have it any other way.

They danced quietly, bodies pressed together for several long minutes before she spoke again. "Can I ask you something? About today?"

Klaus frowned. "I thought you said you didn't want to know."

"I don't want the details," she replied quickly. Again, she pulled back so she could look up at him. "But I am kinda curious. _Without_ going into the specifics… What did you do to him?" She bit down on her lower lip as anxiety thrummed through her veins and he had to resist the urge to pull it from between her teeth. He never wanted to see her anxious, hated seeing her less than joyously happy.

The hybrid exhaled slowly as he considered about how best to answer that. He knew she'd been teasing when she'd called him the big, bad wolf, but he worried that she still saw him that way. Giving away too much would only make her see him capable of greater evil, and he didn't want to be the villain of her story. He looked into her sparkling sapphire eyes as he gathered his thoughts. He cupped her face, rubbing the pad of his thumb across the smooth skin of her cheek. She automatically leaned into his touch, eyes sliding shut as she took comfort in him. She'd been so sure of herself when she'd gone to him, but now that it was over, something ugly clawed at her chest. He saw that very clearly and it only made him cherish her more. He wouldn't just _tell_ her about being the bad guy; he would _be_ the bad guy. He would spare her that burden.

"I did as you asked, sweetheart," he replied gently, trying to reassure her as he stroked her cheekbone reverently. "Damon will run and he will hide and he will never return to Mystic Falls. In time, he'll forget about Elena, and about you. He'll even forget about his own brother." Caroline looked down guiltily, again chewing on her lower lip. Klaus released her cheek to tilt her chin up to face him. She sucked in a deep breath at the hybrid gold bleeding into his irises, the ice in his voice chilling her to the bone. "But he'll remember me."

The gravity and intensity of his words knocked the air from her lungs; she exhaled in a whoosh as a shiver ran down her spine. She could only imagine exactly what he'd done on her behalf. While part of her felt guilty about it, most of her was vindicated. She would never have to look over her shoulder again. The nightmares may come, but she had a feeling that if she wanted someone to chase them away, all she had to do was ask. There was a certain darkness that shrouded Klaus, but as she spun around in his orbit, she knew she was in the light.

When Caroline's thoughts finally calmed, she smiled up at him, relaxing in his arms. "Good." He smiled back, dimples etched into his cheeks at the way his presence obviously soothed her. At some point, the music had stopped and they were surrounded by silence. He continued holding her to his chest, their eyes locked together as they swayed from side to side. A few minutes later, they both heard the sound of a clock chiming midnight. Klaus' posture tensed. Their night was over; she was free to go.

She didn't.

A long minute past as they stood there staring at each other before they heard the tick of the clock proclaim it was no longer exactly 12:00. Caroline leaned in, her mouth nearly brushing his as she shared his airspace. "Well, now that I'm here of my own accord…" Slowly, very slowly, she pressed her lips tentatively to his. He was so shocked that it took him a few seconds to respond. He kissed her back for the briefest of moments before she pulled away. "Now, no one can ever say this was part of our deal."

Klaus raised a brow at her. "No one knows we made a deal."

"And they never will." Again, she leaned up to kiss him. He reacted immediately this time, tightening his grip on her lower back as he licked at the seam of her lips, imploring her to let him in. He cautiously swept his tongue across her bottom lip, biting down gently with his teeth to open her mouth. She let his tongue massage hers in a gentle kiss as her fingers played with the dirty blond curls at the base of his neck. "That's our little secret," she whispered against his mouth.

"And is this also a secret?" he asked in a husky tone, but she could hear the underlying insecurity in his voice even though he tried to play it off as simple curiosity.

"Tonight is," she replied with a shrug. "And maybe tomorrow." She paused to kiss him again, the passion between them starting to build. "But eventually, they'll figure it out."

Klaus pulled her back by the shoulders, eyes boring into hers, pupils blown out with lust. "Are you saying there will be a tomorrow?"

Caroline smiled up at him coquettishly. "I'm saying there's a tonight." She dropped her hand to his tie and tugged it to bring him in for a deep kiss. Their tongues danced together as his hands explored her back. Once they separated to come up for air, she looked up at him from beneath long lashes. Her mouth was slightly puffy from his kisses, cheeks a rosy hue. "Take me to bed, Klaus. Give me a reason for a tomorrow and make me forget everything that happened today."

A smirk curled his upper lip as he wrapped his arms possessively around her lower back. "Sweetheart, I'll make you forget your own name."

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A/N Thank you for reading, and please let me know what you think! (No concrit, please.) My favorite line was in this chapter. I can just hear Klaus saying, "But he'll remember me," and Caroline just thinking O_O. Any favorite parts for you guys? Let me know! See you tomorrow for the smut!


	4. A Consummation Devoutly to be Wished

A/N – Welcome back to the fourth day of rebellion week! Thank you for the lovely reviews! Today is smut day! Writing emotional sex is NOT my forte, so I'd love some feedback. I was going for a tone of Klaus being understanding of what she's gone through and letting her call the shots, so I hope I pulled that off. Can't wait to hear what you think! (No concrit please!)

WARNING: This chapter is pure smut. Skip it if you that bothers you!

_For Srishti._

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**C** **hapter Four –** **A Consummation Devoutly to be Wished**

Hybrid flashing was _fast._ Before Caroline finished sucking in a deep breath at Klaus' lustful promises, a squeal escaped her throat when he rushed them up the stairs and right into his bedroom at full speed. Her high-pitched noise turned to hysterical laughter when they came to a stop a split second later. The Original chuckled; baby vampires could be so much fun with their adorable reactions to such common things as breaking the sound barrier. Once her giggles subsided, she looked up at him with bright eyes wide with anticipation.

Based on how fast he'd gotten her to his bedroom, Caroline half expected him to tear her dress to shreds and throw her down on his king-sized bed. He didn't. Instead, he picked up right where they'd left off, with soft kisses and tentative explorations of her smooth skin. He let her take the lead, shrugging off his black suit jacket when she pushed it down his shoulders. Next, she set to work on his dark red tie before slowly unbuttoning his black dress shirt. He took a step back and held her gaze as he undid his cufflinks before sliding the fabric off his arms. Her eyes roved hungrily over the hard planes of his abdomen and chiseled lines of his chest. Her gaze fell to a large tattoo on his shoulder of a black feather bursting into a flock of birds. She took a small step forward and pressed her lips to the ink, his skin salty as she traced the lines with her tongue, hands exploring his chest and abs.

Klaus slowly untied the bow at the back of her neck and sensually eased the fabric down to expose her bare skin, the sides of his thumbs scraping the edges of her breasts. "Beautiful," he whispered reverently, not touching her as he just let her lead her with interest. She took a step back and plucked off her heels before letting the dress fall to the floor, leaving her in nothing but a bright red pair of lacy boyshorts. He watched her rosy nipples pebble under his intense gaze as he unbuckled his belt before letting his trousers fall, kicking off his shoes along the way. He waited for her to make a move, watching with bated breath as she inhaled shakily before slowly sliding her panties down her legs. He did the same with his boxers, leaving them both naked before each other's wandering eyes. Pulse hammering wildly in his ears, it took everything in him not to rush forward and attack her with tongue and teeth, but he refrained and waited for her to make a move.

Caroline was the first to take a tentative step forward when it became clear that Klaus was giving her all the control. She placed her hands on his shoulders as her gaze swept over his body, erection already standing at attention. He was bigger than she'd been expecting – not that she'd ever thought about it or anything – but not so large that she felt intimidated. She cautiously swept her thumb over the head of his penis, smiling at the way his breathing hitched. She slowly brought her thumb up to her puffy lips and sucked his precum off the tip, holding his gaze as gold bled into his irises.

"Fuck, Caroline," he breathed, hands falling to her waist, unable to keep from feeling her skin on his. He let his fingertips explore her hips, pulling her closer to encourage her to continue her experimental touches. She leaned forward to nibble on his collarbone as she wrapped her hand around his shaft, slowly stroking up and down and rubbing her palm over his slippery head. He groaned at her touch, cupping the soft flesh of her ass with both hands. She peppered kisses along his jaw and throat before moving down his toned chest. She flicked her tongue over each of his flat nipples, making him buck his hips against her tiny hand. Slowly, she worked her way down his abs until she fell to her knees.

Caroline looked up at him with bright sapphire eyes as she slowly licked his shaft up and down, her pink tongue darting out to catch a drop of precum from the tip. "Definitely better than the tapenade," she teased coquettishly, licking her lips lasciviously. He chuckled, but his breathing was heavy and she knew it wasn't going to take much to make him fall apart. She'd never felt more desirable in her entire life. She teased him a bit more with nibbles and licks before finally taking him in her mouth, fully aware that he was restraining himself for her sake. His hands wound in her curls, encouraging her to keep going without forcing anything. She'd never been a huge fan of blowjobs – it wasn't exactly a trip to Baskin Robins – but something about the venerate way he was looking at her – like he was in a waking dream – made her want to give one to him.

"Fuck, you look so beautiful with your lips wrapped around my cock. Can you take more for me, sweetheart?" She hummed contentedly at the compliment laced with a pleading undertone, fluttering her eyelashes as she took him to the back of her throat, gagging slightly as she coated him in thick saliva. "God, I dreamed about this so many times, having you on your knees, fuck." She brought her hand up to the base of his shaft and moved in time with her mouth as she swirled her tongue around and around. "Christ, please do that again." She felt her upper lip curl at his tone; having to _ask_ for something was clearly not on the menu of his normal sexual appetites. Instead of speeding her up, she wickedly slowed down her pace, taunting him with sensual licks and gentle sucks.

Klaus wanted to close his eyes and give himself over to the incredible sensations washing over him, but he couldn't bring himself to look away. He'd imagined her on her knees a thousand times – more, probably – but never had it been as good as actually having her kneel for him. "I've stroked my cock thinking of this more times that I can count. Fuck, you're beautiful, Caroline," he purred, the 'r' in her name rolling off his tongue in a way that had her sucking harder. For once, he actually felt like the hybrid king. But she felt like a queen. This had been her decision, every touch one of her own design. She felt powerful and in control, his body hers to command.

The baby vampire sped up her strokes, gently nibbling his flesh as she eagerly waited for him to fall apart just for her. He groaned and bucked his hips, sharply tugging her hair as he approached the edge. She used her other hand to massage his balls, fingers pressing just below his sack and he was gone. Calling out her name, he spilled his seed down her velvet throat. She moaned at the sweet and salty taste as she visibly swallowed it, her throat clenching around the head of his penis before slowly letting it fall from between her lips.

"That was bloody fantastic," he panted, a bit breathless as his heart raced and chest heaved, one hand curled around the bedpost to support himself, knees threatening to buckle. Caroline beamed up at him with pride as he affectionately tucked a curl behind her ear. He crooked his finger to beckon her to his side. She stood and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her close, stroking her back and whispering in her ear a gentle, "Thank you." She pulled back to tease him by asking if he'd ever thanked anyone for anything in bed before, but the adoration shining in his eyes made her breath catch. He easily parted her lips with his, tasting himself on her tongue. One hand kneaded the flesh of her ass as the other came between their bodies to gently cup the bottom of her breast, thumb brushing lightly over her stiff nipple. He explored her body with reverence, peppering her jaw with feather light kisses and gentle nips that turned to bites as their passion grew.

The breathless blonde mewled when he barely ghosted his finger over her slit, already slick with moisture. Copying her earlier movements, he brought his finger up to his mouth and held her gaze as he tasted her juices. "Delicious." Her eyelids fluttered when he pinched and rolled one of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. Testing what she liked and didn't like, he explored her body in agonizing detail, enjoying taking his time. She'd come to him for justice, but moreso, she'd wanted his protection from the monster that went bump in the night. He was many man's monster, but he wouldn't be hers. He would make her feel safe and chase away every dark memory in the comfort of his bedroom. He would give her something he _never_ gave, something he cherished: he would give her his deference, his precious control, his _submission._

Cupping her sex, he licked the shell of her ear and whispered huskily, "Tell me what you want, sweetheart. I'll give it to you; I'll give you everything."

Klaus tightened his palm as his other hand caressed the curve of her breast, feathering kisses along her neck as he waited patiently for her response. "I want you to touch me," she finally replied, voice breathy and thick with need.

"I _am_ touching you," he taunted lightly, nipping at a particularly sensitive spot he'd found on her collarbone and drawing out a low moan. She whined softly, spreading her legs a bit wider to encourage him. "What more do you want?" When he continued to hold her folds in his hot palm, her moisture dripping down onto his skin, and did nothing but kiss her, she realized what he was doing. He was teasing her, yes, but this wasn't about only that. _He was asking her permission._ After everything she'd shared with him about her past, he wanted to make damn sure he wasn't coercing her into anything, and he wanted her to know that whatever she wanted was fine with him.

Caroline reluctantly pulled her throat away from his mouth, mourning the loss of his tongue and teeth. She squared her shoulders and looked up into his feral eyes, pupils fully dilated. Sucking in a deep breath, she told him, "I want you to taste me. I-I-" she stuttered a bit, blushing furiously, "I want to come on your tongue."

The corners of Klaus' mouth curled up in a devious smile. "As you wish." She whimpered softly when he pulled his hand from between her thighs and placed it on her hip. He deftly parted her lips, tongue heatedly exploring the inside of her mouth. He backed her up to the edge of his bed, pushing gently against her chest and easing them down to the mattress. Hovering over her, he took one nipple between his teeth and tugged lightly, the sensation shooting straight to her clit. He moved on to the next, suckling hard and laving his tongue over a rapidly fading bruise. He kissed and nipped his way down her stomach, tasting every inch of skin he could find as his hands explored her upper thighs with reverent strokes.

Falling to his knees, the hybrid looked up at her. Caroline's cheeks were flushed, eyes hooded, lips parted. "Spread your legs for me, sweetheart. Let me see you," he cooed seductively, pressing a soft kiss to the inside of her knee. She easily did as he asked, scooting down so that her bottom was right on the edge of the mattress, bare feet dangling just above the plush carpet. "Beautiful." Based on the hungry look in his eyes, she expected him to get right to it, but he didn't. Klaus was the consummate lover. She'd had plenty of sex, but it had been with mere boys. The Original was a _man._ A man with a thousand years of refined skill. Every kiss, every slow brush of his hand, was designed to make her want him more.

Klaus parted her legs a bit to give himself more room to please her. "You look so lovely spread wide open for me, love. I've wanted this for so long," he whispered in awe, his compliment making her blush. Men had _settled_ for her before, but none had truly _craved_ her. As she looked down at him, she thought he looked like one of those guys on TV who won the $50 million jackpot. Then again, in Klaus Mikaelson's world, making a deal for a date with her in exchange for torture probably _was_ his idea of winning the lottery.

Pressing a long row of hot, open-mouthed kisses up her shin and thigh, he reveled in the way she shivered. He brought both hands up to tease the bottom of her breasts before toying with her nipples, occasionally delivering a harsh pinch that made her moan so prettily that he did it again and again as he explored her body everywhere except where she wanted him. Finally, mercifully, he nuzzled his nose against her slippery folds, inhaling the spicy scent of her arousal.

"So wet for me already and I haven't even done anything yet. You're perfect." He slid his hands down her sides to the bottom of her thighs, lifting her legs over his broad shoulders.

Caroline cried out when the hybrid delivered a long, flat lick right to her tight bundle of nerves. He traced her folds with tongue and fingers, focusing all his attention on her sex. He used one finger to outline her dripping center, making her shiver and clench around air while he watched with rapt attention, doting on her. Her hands fisted in the sheets as her head flew back when when he parted her folds with two fingers, blowing lightly against her clit.

"Eyes on me," he requested silkily, his own irises ringed with wolf gold. She propped herself up on her elbows to peer down at him from below her long lashes, eyes barely slits as she breathed heavily. "I've imagined what you would look like flushed and wanting, but you're so much more beautiful than I could have ever hoped for," he whispered, his sweet words vibrating against her sensitized skin, the absolute veneration in his voice making her breath catch. It was like he was _worshiping_ at her feet as he knelt before her, absolutely desperate to see her pleased. Slowly, he held her gaze as he pushed his tongue in her hot center, nose nudging her clit. He lapped at her inner walls, tasting every inch of her core he could reach and moaning. His thrusts began to quicken as a coil formed in her lower belly.

"Klaus, please," she pleaded in a shaky whisper. "I need to come. Play with my clit." Unable to deny her anything, and very pleased that she'd voiced her needs, he indulged her… with a single lick. "Klaus…" she whined softly, making him chuckle.

"Don't worry, love. I'll give you what you ask," he promised sinfully, treating her to another lick. She whimpered pitifully when he pulled back to stare at her intensely as he pushed in first one finger and then a second, slowly pumping them in and out of her as he noted what she seemed to like the most.

"Klaus…" she mewled, fists clenched in the sheets. "Go faster."

Smiling with his dimples, he did as she asked. He increased his speed, plunging in and out of her in a steady rhythm. "You want me badly; I can tell." Caroline simply nodded, unable to speak as his fingers curled inside her. She felt the tips of her fingers and toes tingle and start to go numb as her legs trembled atop his shoulders. He hooked his fingers to her in just the right spot and she cried out his name, desperate for her climax.

Smirking, Klaus leaned forward and blew against her rosy bud, gruff stubble scraping against her velvet folds. "Come for me, sweetheart." Wrapping his lips around her clit, he nibbled lightly and she came undone. She screamed out her orgasm as he expertly swirled his tongue around to prolong her pleasure. Just when she thought she was finished, he pumped into her faster and harder. "Let me taste you again, love." Another coil began to build in her lower belly at the desperation in his husky tone. Crying out in pleasure, she banged her palm against the plush mattress, body jerking violently under his wicked tongue. One orgasm quickly rolled into a second as she shouted his name over and over and over, forgetting her own as promised. He slowed only when her head fell back against the sheets, chest heaving as she gasped for air.

Pressing one last kiss to the inside of her knee, Klaus pulled out his fingers and licked them clean, savoring the taste of her juices. He carefully removed her limp and quivering legs from his shoulders and crawled up beside her. Taking her trembling body into his strong arms, he cradled her to his chest with one hand beneath her sweaty curls. He kissed her temple and spoke to her in a silky whisper. "Shh, sweetheart. Just breathe. You're so lovely." Showering her in compliments, he venerately stroked her arms and back, fingers tenderly massaging her scalp. She continued dragging in deep gulps of oxygen as she came down from the atmosphere, drinking in the way he extolled her with infinite affection. When she finally opened her sapphire eyes, she didn't think she'd ever seen him looking so pleased with himself.

Caroline indulged him with a lazy smile. "That was good."

Klaus chuckled, pressing his lips to her bare shoulder. "Good enough that you're done for the night, or…" He left the question open-ended, again handing her all the control despite his obvious desire pressing into her thigh. To his delight, her puffy lips curved upward and she shook head head slowly, eyes sparkling. He leaned down and kissed her again. "What do you want now, love?"

"More," she breathed against his jaw, pushing her tongue into his mouth and tasting herself as surely as he could still taste the remnants of his come on her lips. Pulling back, her cheeks flushed as she looked up at him shyly. "I need to feel you inside of me."

The hybrid smiled down at his lover's use of the word 'need' and kissed her again. "How do you want me?"

Caroline bit down on her lower lip, unused to being so verbal during sex. Usually, men just took what they wanted… even if it wasn't something she was willing to give. Klaus was different. He was letting her call all the shots. While she knew that wasn't likely to last forever, she appreciated the sentiment of it for their first time. _And she was already planning the second._ After what he'd done for her, and why he'd done it, there was no doubt left that he was the one man who would always put her first and expect nothing in return. True, he'd bartered for her time, but that was all. He wanted her body, but made it clear that was hers to give. And it was _very_ obvious he was not used to playing this role, the desperation in his eyes to get going palpable as his jaw tightened.

Caroline looked up at him somewhat tentatively, worrying her lower lip. She didn't know why she was suddenly so shy. She never had been when it came to sex before. Technically, he'd already seen her topless… and she'd kissed him… after pushing him up against a tree. In all fairness, she thought he'd been Tyler at the time, but she hadn't been shy then. And she certainly hadn't been shy about tasting him or being tasted. So, why now?

The baby vampire knew why. It was because they both knew this wasn't just about sex. Klaus Mikaelson was possessive as both a man and monster. Oh sure, she knew she could walk away… but he never would. He would be respectful and keep his distance if she asked him to, but she would always know he was there lurking in the shadows, keeping an eye on her. That was the reason for her sudden apprehension. She wasn't just deciding how she wanted him… She was deciding _how long_ she wanted him. And she knew the answer to that, too.

So, with some trepidation, she made up her mind and asked softly, "Can I be on top?"

Pulling her lip from between her teeth with his thumb, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Of course, sweetheart. Whenever you're ready."

"I'm ready," she replied so quickly that he laughed; she blushed.

"Eager, are we? If I didn't know better, I'd say you've thought about this, too," he teased as he released her. She shrugged flirtatiously as she crawled off of him, kneeling at the top of the bed and not denying it. He followed right behind her with arrogance painting his visage at her silent confirmation, sitting back against the elaborately carved oak headboard and patting his thigh to welcome her to his lap. Looking down greedily at his painfully hard erection, she quickly settled on top of him, hovering just above his head. "What, no foreplay?" he joked when she moved down to take the tip of him inside her wet heat.

Raising a brow, Caroline pushed up on her knees, his cock falling out of her. "Oh, you want to be teased?" she asked playfully, already knowing the answer.

"No, I want you to ride my cock until my eyes roll back in my head." To prove his point, he pulled her down on his shaft, growling. She gasped at the sudden contact, the feeling of fullness overwhelming her senses as he stretched her wide. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted by his arrogant smirk, but he didn't move her again, hands resting lightly on her hips.

Klaus had been incredibly considerate all evening, the perfect gentlemen even in his own bedroom; she'd never had such a tender lover. Caroline appreciated that he was letting her make all the moves, but she was also beyond aroused and ready to share the power. _She trusted him._ Leaning forward, she nipped his lower lip hard before pulling back with a twinkle in her eye. "Now who's the tease?" He raised a challenging brow; she nodded excitedly, surer than ever that she wanted this. "Fuck me, Klaus," she commanded before crashing her lips against his and pushing her tongue in his mouth, dominating their kiss.

Needing no further prompting, he began to move, meeting her thrust for thrust as she bounced on top of him. She swirled her hips, making him groan. "God, you're so fucking tight." His hands came up to fondle her breasts, fingers tugging and pulling roughly at her nipples. "Even better than I imagined." His actions became more passionate as she enthusiastically rode his cock. Weaving her hands in his curls, she guided his face down to her chest. He took her cue and sucked one pert bud in his hot mouth, swirling his tongue around. One hand toyed with her other breast as one kneaded the flesh of her ass, nails digging into her tender skin as he slid in and out of her at a rapid pace.

The baby vampire dropped one hand between them, two fingers massaging her clit up and down. "Christ, Caroline," he groaned against her throat, staring down in shock at her touching herself on top of him. He'd been fully prepared to go slow and be gentle after everything she'd been through and was clearly not expecting the wild woman riding his cock, but he was beyond pleased with his misconception. "You're so bloody fucking gorgeous with me inside you as you take your own pleasure." Klaus bucked his hips up when he felt her walls start to tighten. She panted and moaned as another orgasm washed over her, electricity spreading outward from her clit as she took him as deeply as she could. She attacked his neck with harsh kisses and nips, nearly drawing blood, until she came back down. Pulling her hand away, she held his gaze as she sucked her fingers. "Fucking hell," he choked out, voice constricted with lust.

Caroline grabbed his hair again and fed him her own juices from her lips. He groaned at the eroticism of it, movements becoming more jerky. Unable to resist, he snaked his hand between them and furiously rubbed her clit up and down, eager to feel her come undone once more. "Do it again, sweetheart. Let me feel you." There was something about the way he asked, how it was more like a plea than a command, that had her speeding up yet again. It was a mere minute before she was shuddering in his arms, crying out his name. He slowed long enough for her to calm down as she desperately clung to him for support.

Tugging back suddenly hard on his curls, even as she still struggled to catch her breath, voice coming out in between heavy pants, she decided, "Okay… You can… be on top now."

Delighted to have her permission, Klaus had them reversed in a flash, relieved to be on top. He found that sensitive spot on her collarbone as he eagerly wrapped her legs around his waist. He expertly thrust into her, making her cry out in pleasure. Out of habit, one hand locked her wrists in place like a vice, but he quickly shook his head and released them, bringing it down to her breast. Caroline grabbed his hand and firmly relocated it back above her head. "No, no, no, that was good," she panted breathlessly, hips bucking up to meet his. She had irrevocably staked her claim on the immortal hybrid, and now she wanted to be claimed back. "Keep doing that."

Gold ringed his irises as black veins spider webbed uncontrollably down from his eyes. Letting his alpha wolf out to play, he gripped her wrists tightly and crashed his mouth down against hers, tongue dominating hers. "Anything for you, my queen," he mumbled hurriedly, harshly squeezing her breast. She moaned into their kiss, lips frantically attached to each other. He slammed into her in a punishing rhythm as she bucked up to meet his thrusts. " _Mine,_ " he gritted out, biting down hard enough on her lower lip to taste her blood. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and fervently nodded her agreement, which only made his strokes that much more uneven and desperate as he chased his own high, eager to mark her with his scent.

The Original used his other hand to drag his nails down her belly before parting her folds to find her clit. Their movements became more erratic as he slid in and out of her slippery warmth. "God, fuck, I'm close. Fuck me harder! Faster!" the baby vampire demanded of the hybrid as she rode his cock from beneath him, clearly still in charge despite their change in position.

Giving in easily, Klaus roughly increased the pace. Her hips jerked and swirled around as he predatorially slammed into her, claiming every inch of her with tongue and teeth. "You look so perfect writhing beneath me," he panted raggedly. "Bloody fucking goddess." His grip around her wrists tightened as he pinned her down, reveling in their animalistic coupling. "This is where you belong." Their grunts and groans filled the room as their glistening bodies rutted together like wild beasts. "Where _I_ belong," he whispered so affectionately it nearly split her heart in two. Her nails dug into his hand, the coppery scent of his blood filling the air spurring him on.

When the smell hit his nostrils, Klaus looked down at her, suddenly craving more than just her body. It was an impulsive thought, but one he was sure he wanted to indulge. "Have you ever…" he panted heavily, "bloodshared before?" Barely able to focus, she shook her head no. "Do you…. want to… with me?"

Caroline looked up at his hopeful earnestness and saw the desperate vulnerability in his eyes. Bloodsharing between vampires was as intimate as it got, and she was one hundred percent certain it wasn't something he did with just anybody. Seeing how much he wanted to share that with her was all the motivation she needed; his topaz eyes were just _begging_ her to accept him, to claim _him_ for all eternity. It took her about three seconds to mindlessly nod her head, sure that she wanted him forever. A relieved smile spread across his face, as though he'd been terrified she'd turn him down. He offered her his neck, nodding frantically at her to go first. Taking his cue, she sank her fangs into him, greedily drinking from his throat. Barely remembering to tilt her head to the side, she invited him to taste her back. Klaus wasn't just a vampire; he was a hybrid. The sharp pain of his bite hurt in all the right ways, the tiny amount of burning venom enough to make the world around her fade away as she convulsed in the orgasm of a lifetime.

As soon as the baby vampire's blood hit Klaus' tongue, he realized something: _she wasn't on vervain._ He'd been fully expecting the burn of the poison; his eyes widened in shock when he tasted nothing but her. His Caroline trusted him so completely that she hadn't bothered to take a single precaution before coming to see him despite all she'd endured. The thought that someone he cared for so deeply _finally_ had faith in him pushed him over the edge, the intimacy of what they were doing the ultimate aphrodisiac. Immediately letting go of her wrists, he closed his eyes and pulled her flush against him, focusing on the feeling of her walls clamping down around his cock as he spilled his seed deep inside her pulsing core, pumping in and out of her and swirling his fingers around her clit to draw out their highs.

Pulling back from her neck with a gasp, Klaus dragged in deep gulps of air as she continued to feed from him. Caroline never drank from the vein and was drawn in by the euphoric rush of pure vampiristic pleasure. She sucked hard and fast until the wound closed itself before throwing her head back against the pillow, thoroughly sated as her chest heaved. He collapsed between the valley of her breasts, breathing hard and slightly dizzy from the blood loss. In a thousand years, he could count on one hand the number of vampires he'd offered his blood to during sex: one. She was the first and only woman he'd ever even _considered_ giving himself to so fully. He was the _bastard hybrid_ ; he didn't _invest_ in women like that, couldn't _risk_ making himself so _vulnerable_. He'd taken a chance on his baby vampire and she'd come through and accepted him without hesitation. And she'd been worth every drop.

Even torturing Damon Salvatore hadn't been as satisfying as claiming and being claimed by Caroline Forbes.

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A/N Thanks for reading and please let me know what you think! (No concrit please!) See you tomorrow for our last day of this mini-adventure!


	5. Be All My Sins Remembered

A/N Welcome back to the fifth and final day I will be posting for rebellion week! If you skipped the last chapter, all you need to know is that they had sex and Caroline made an internal decision that this is forever. She has not told him that…. Yet. Enjoy!

P. S. I forgot to mention that these _incredibly_ pretensions chapter titles are all from _Hamlet._

_For Srishti._

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**Chapter Five – Be All My Sins Remembered**

_Nymph, in thy orisons b_ _e all my sins remembered._

Hot hybrid sex was a _workout._ Neither Klaus nor Caroline moved until their racing hearts began to slow. Bodies slick with blood and sweat, he rolled over and pulled her into his muscular arms, her cheek falling against his chiseled chest. Humming, she nuzzled against his tattoo and kissed it gently before settling against his firm body, silently agreeing with him that she belonged there. She threw one arm and leg on top of him, claiming him as hers. He lazily stroked her back as the world came back into focus. Finally opening his eyes, he looked down to see her gazing dreamily up at him, drunk on blood and lust. They both laughed giddily, basking in the afterglow of their passion.

"Wow," she giggled, "is that what I've been missing?" Shaking her head, she added, "I should have let you seduce me sooner."

An arrogant smirk curled Klaus' upper lip. "You held out an impressive amount of time, love." After a moment, he added playfully, "Although, I'm fairly certain it was you who seduced me with that marvelous dress."

"And you were dumb enough to fall for it," she replied with a laugh, shaking her head.

The hybrid pinched the flesh of her ass, making her squeak. "Cheeky."

"Sorry not sorry," Caroline quipped.

"Tell me something," he mused curiously. "You wore a tiny dress when you first came to me as well. Did you plan this for that night?" He gestured between their naked bodies, still dewy with sweat from their lovemaking. "In case I said no?"

The blonde pressed her puffy lips together to suppress a guilty grin before looking up at him sheepishly. "I was banking on you saying yes." Klaus huffed, annoyed that she could play him so easily, but also not particularly surprised. She playfully slapped his chest. "Oh, come on! That's not a bad thing. I trusted you." He smiled at that, giving her hip an affectionate squeeze. "The dress was more for me than you. It's weird. For anyone else, it'd be different. But when I'm with you, it's my armor. Like, I can wear anything I want and I know all you'll do is look. And it's nice to be looked at, but, like, in a safe way? Know what I mean? I don't know. It might not make sense to anyone but me, but, like, how you feel about me is kinda obvious? Like, you're-"

Klaus put a finger over her lips to stop her nervous rambling. "Completely and utterly enraptured with you." Pecking the tip of his finger, she nodded, smiling warmly. "You're not wrong," he admitted, shrugging nonchalantly. He pulled his hand away and wrapped her up in his arms again, enjoying the feeling of skin on skin. "So, the dress tonight, that was also for you? You didn't know this was going to happen?"

Blushing, she bit her lower lip and looked up at him. "Honestly?" He nodded, face showing no hint of judgment. "I hadn't decided yet." Shrugging, she continued her confession. "I mean, I thought about it, obviously… probably more than I should have…"

"Impossible. I always want you thinking about it."

Caroline rolled her eyes, refusing to admit that she'd thought about it _a lot_. "You asked me to give you a chance, so that's what I did. You're what made up my mind." Leaning up, she pecked him on the lips. "But don't worry," she teased with a wink. "I'll let you seduce me next time."

"So, there'll be a next time, then?" Klaus asked a little too quickly to cover up his own insecurity, his hopeful tone warming her chest.

The baby vampire rolled her eyes. "There's going to be a lot more times." There was a fondness in her tone as her hand cupped his cheek, thumb caressing his stubble. "You're stuck with me now."

The Original pressed a kiss to the inside of her wrist. "Well, it appears my queen has spoken."

Releasing his cheek, the blonde nodded her head once before possessively draping her arm over his chest. "That I have. And I'm staying the night," she added with an air of regal authority that had him grinning. She rested her face against his shoulder, nuzzling into him as she settled into the crook of his arm, right where she belonged.

A long while past as they cuddled in comfortable silence. She snuggled closer as she thought about the last few days. It had been a whirlwind of emotions that all culminated in the best night of her life. Sighing contentedly, she pressed her lips against his collarbone and tasted blood. She couldn't help but moan as it rolled over her tongue. Wrapping his arm tighter around her, he kissed the top of her curls, smiling to himself. She looked up at him and grinned, leaning up to lick a drop from the corner of his mouth flirtatiously. She was so adorable; he couldn't resist nipping her lower lip and growling playfully.

"So, is that like a normal vampire thing?" she blurted out impulsively before she could stop herself, eyes briefly widening at her own candor. He raised a brow at her, unsure what she meant. "The blood during sex thing," she clarified, trying to keep her tone light even though she strongly suspected she already knew the answer that it was _anything_ but his norm.

Klaus pressed his lips together and for a brief moment, Caroline could have sworn she saw him blush. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, searching for the right words. "It's not unheard of," he answered cautiously, "but it's not something I've done before personally."

The baby vampire's sapphire eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?" Trying not to give himself away too much, the hybrid simply shrugged as though it hadn't been the most intimate thing he'd done in a thousand years. "Why not? You're like a billion years old." He narrowed his eyes and tweaked a nipple, making her giggle and slap his hand. "Well, you are!" she laughed airily. "I'm just surprised there's _anything_ you haven't done."

"It's considered somewhat intimate, I suppose," Klaus replied in a forced casual tone. "And my blood in particular is quite valuable," he pointed out, an arrogant smile sliding across his face beneath his gruff stubble; she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. "As I said the other day, sex isn't something I would bargain for, and I don't typically give it away for no reason." His eyes shone with affection as he tugged one of her curls, his dimpled smile soft and his voice low. "But I find that you're the exception to my rules."

Caroline didn't know what to say. No one had ever looked at her with such… reverence. All she could do was smile shyly and gently press her lips to his. A quiet moment of understanding past between them before she settled back down, snuggling into his shoulder and idly tracing the lines of his tattoo with her fingertips.

As they lay there basking in the afterglow of their passion, Klaus reached down and pulled the plush duvet over them, very pleased that she would still be there in the morning. Kissing her head as he trailed his fingers up her bicep, he mused, "And to think, all it took was Elena Gilbert being a bitch to finally bring us together."

Caroline's shoulders stiffened as their deal came rushing back to her. He noticed it immediately, all humor gone from his visage as he tilted her chin up to face him. He raised a brow to prompt her to speak and she smiled ruefully. "I never thanked you for what you did-"

"And you never have to, love," he assured her quickly. "It was my pleasure."

"Yeah, I know, and that's kind of the problem." She worried her lower lip again, a habit he'd learned she picked up when she was anxious. Sighing, she looked up at him tentatively. "I _am_ grateful, but, if it's okay with you, I'd rather not talk about it again."

Klaus' brows furrowed together as he frowned warily. "Caroline, you know the kind of man I am. Surely you've deduced that I care for you very deeply, but I am who I am. That's not going to change."

"I know," the eternal teenager agreed, nodding, "and that's _why_ I'm grateful. I knew what was going to happen when I told you." She sighed, preparing herself for the worst part of her confession; she had to look away. "I knew you were going to torture him and I didn't care. Part of me even wanted it to happen because of what he did to me." The hybrid had to resist the urge to tell her it was okay to give in to her own darkness, to tell her to revel in it. He bit the inside of his cheek, knowing there was nothing he could do to ease her guilt or change who she was.

Caroline looked back up at him, resting her cheek against his tattoo. "You're good at being the bad guy because you like it, and I wouldn't want you to change who you are just for me. But the thing is, I don't enjoy it, and I don't want to. I don't regret telling you, and I _definitely_ don't feel sorry for that asshole, but I don't enjoy the role I played in getting rid of him. I know I could have asked you to just compel him away, but you wouldn't have." He didn't bother to deny it. "You might have told me you did, but then there would have been a lie between us, and I didn't want that."

"In all fairness, there has always been deception in our relationship," he pointed out candidly, his tone indicating that it was merely an observation and not something he particularly cared about. He hadn't survived a thousand years by being played for a fool. He knew each time she came to him that she was up to something, even if he didn't know what that was. He indulged her because it allowed him to spend time with her, and her lies had been worth it since the end result was that she learned to trust him.

"Okay, yes," she conceded, "but it's been on both sides."

Klaus nodded in acknowledgment. After all, they _had_ met because he killed her best friend and then turned her boyfriend into a hybrid. But then she and her little band of misfits had tried to kill him, so he supposed they were even. "Well, perhaps this is our chance for a fresh start."

"That was my plan." She smiled, leaning up to kiss him as if to solidly their pact to start over.

The hybrid chewed the inside of his cheek as he pondered something that had been bothering him all evening. "And your relationship with Tyler?"

"What about it?" Caroline asked with a blank look. "You know we broke up," she lied, hoping he either wouldn't notice or would simply let it go.

Klaus smirked, no intention of letting her off the hook when it was so much more fun to watch her squirm. "While you sold me the tale of your breakup with my wayward hybrid; it's clear that at some point, this little fiction became fact. Unless I'm mistaken and you consider adultery a candidate for that badge of human virtue to which you still so desperately cling."

"I'm not a cheater," she spat defensively, offended by the prospect that she might still be in a relationship after the way they'd made love so passionately.

"So, you break up _was_ recent, then?" He raised a brow and she flushed, not bothering to deny it. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say I was right about his relationship with Hayley all along?"

The baby blonde vampire rolled her eyes. "Yes, you were right about Hayley all along," she mimicked in a fake, and badly done, British accent, huffing. He had to bite back a chuckle at the poor imitation. He opened his mouth to say he was sorry for being right, but she just shook her head. "Don't say it. You tried to tell me; it's not your fault I had to see it for myself." She cast her gaze to the side and added bitterly, "Would've been nice if I hadn't _literally_ seen it, though." He wisely didn't ask for the details and waited for her to shake the image of Hayley on her knees out of her head as she ran her fingers through her tangled curls. Looking back at him, she realized something and her jaw dropped in utter indignation. "Wait a minute, you _knew_ I faked the breakup?"

"Sweetheart, I'm a thousand years old. I know a lie when I see it," he replied drolly, as though this should have been obvious.

Caroline narrowed her eyes and glared at him. "So you waited until _after_ we slept together to bring him up even though you thought we _were_ still together?" He bit back a smirk and said nothing. "Classy, Klaus. Real classy."

The Original burst into laughter at her ire. "What can I say, love? I'm a man of opportunity." She playfully slapped his chest, trying to bite back a smile. She couldn't really be mad at him for it since she was the one who'd begun that particular lie, but she was still annoyed that he always seemed to know everything all the time. "In my defense, you seemed genuine in your enjoyment of our time together. Given that coming upstairs was _your_ idea," he reminded her with a slight tilt of his head, "I chose to believe an evening spent in my bed would be a determining factor when choosing between us, should the need arise."

"God, you're arrogant," she huffed; he smiled smugly, raising a brow at her and flicking his gaze up and down her still naked body. Blushing, she pressed her lips together and looked away, refusing to stroke his already inflated ego.

The hybrid flashed her a taunting smile and couldn't help but press, "Would it have been enough, or should I try harder to prove my devotion to your pleasure?" Caroline felt a tingle in her lower belly, eyes blackening with lust; it made him chuckle. He tweaked an already erect nipple and smirked. "I think I've made my point." Nuzzling against the crook of her neck, he whispered huskily into her ear, "Actually, I think I made it about five times."

"Oh, shut up," she sassed, slapping him away playfully. He wiggled his eyebrows at her, clearly waiting for an answer. She huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine, it was the best sex of my life. Satisfied?"

Klaus' smile only widened at her admission, his fingernails grazing down the side of her arm giving her shivers. "Sweetheart, there isn't enough time in our immortality for me to be satisfied with hearing your reaction to the things I plan on doing to you." Demonstrating, he pushed her on her back and kissed her deeply, tongue sweeping across her bottom lip before slipping into her mouth. He drove the air from her lungs before pulling up with an arrogant smirk beneath his gruff stubble. "Need I go on?"

Caroline blinked up at him unseeingly as her head swam. The hybrid chuckled at her inability to answer his question, still dazed from how hard he'd kissed her. He pulled her back to his chest, wrapping one arm around her waist and lazily brushing his nails against her bicep as they cuddled in a post-coital haze. "Any other secrets you'd like to confess while we're on the subject of deception before I ravish you again?" His candor nearly took her breath away, sapphire eyes flashing. "Besides that pesky plot involving Tyler and Hayley unsiring all my hybrids," he added, unsure if she would tell him on her own and not particularly wanting to find out and ruin the moment. "I believe that one is nearing completion, if I'm not mistaken; but feel free to share if there are any others of which you think I may not be aware."

Caroline's mouth hung open in genuine shock, not having thought about it once all evening. "You know about that, too?!" The millennium-old hybrid shrugged casually; he had far greater concerns than Tyler Lockwood. "How? _How_ could you possibly know and why haven't you done anything if you did?"

The older man nearly laughed at her naivete. "Tempting though it is to keep you in the dark as to my sources, I suppose I should give _myself_ a chance to trust _you_ and tell you that Hayley's been feeding me information on your old boyfriend since before she came to Mystic Falls."

"That bitch!" the baby vampire spat with vitriol. Klaus had to try so hard to keep from bursting into laughter that he bit into the side of his mouth deep enough to taste his own blood. "Please tell me you've got some trick up your sleeve that involves sending her back under whatever rock she crawled out from."

He did chuckle at that. "You needn't worry, little one. I've had plans in motion for quite some time. Hayley and Tyler will be dealt with soon enough."

Caroline frowned at that. "What do you mean 'dealt with?'" she asked warily, worrying her lower lip.

Klaus flicked his gaze up and down, unsure how much to tell her. "Do you really want to know?" It took her a moment to decide, but eventually, she gave him a reluctant nod. "I made a deal with Hayley for her cooperation gathering all my hybrids at one time in a certain place, and I plan to honor my end of that agreement. Once she has what she's been looking for, she'll leave town quietly. Tyler, I planned on killing." His emotionless answer knocked the air out of her lungs and she looked up at him with panic in her eyes. "It'll be quick," he added, as though that would somehow comfort her.

Lifting her head from his shoulder, she pushed herself up to face him as he leaned back against the headboard. "You can't kill Tyler."

He quirked a brow at her, amused. "You'd rather I made him remember me?"

"No, I do not want him to remember you," she spat back sarcastically, making a face at him. "But I don't want him dead, either. You can't kill him."

"Not only can I, I want to," he replied bluntly, a spark of evil behind his topaz eyes. At her pleading look, he huffed grumpily, as though she were trampling all over his happiness. "He's planning to do far worse than that to me," he complained petulantly, as though justifying it would sway her to the side of slaughter. "Can you really blame me for defending myself?"

Caroline's shoulders slumped as she thought about it, already knowing the answer. "No," she finally admitted begrudginly. She looked up at him with sad eyes. "But I don't want him dead, either. He was my first love."

"And I intend to be your last." He gently kissed her on the cheek, hoping his sweet words would appease her. She stiffened at the light contact, knowing he was trying to distract her. Pulling back, he saw the apprehension on her face. The air between them was thick with tension as they stared at each other, both waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, Klaus rolled his eyes. "Fine," he conceded morosely, clearly unhappy about not getting to commit bloody murder as many times as he'd intended. "I will extend my mercy to Tyler for _your_ sake, but to him alone. I will deal with the rest as I see fit, and you will not interfere."

Sighing in relief, the blonde nodded her head. She didn't particularly want the others to die, but she doubted there was anything she could say to change his mind, and he'd already agreed to the most important part. "Okay," she said quietly. "Should I tell him to leave town or something? Get him to call off the whole witch thing?"

"No, their plan is still part of mine," he answered quickly, shaking his head. "When the time is right, I will instruct Hayley to tell him to run." His tone turned to iron, a steel glint in his eye telling her whatever he was about to say was _not_ up for discussion. "But to be clear, that is _all_ I'm willing to do. He never knows I agreed to let him live. Given his crimes against me and his treachery against you, something you seem so willing to forget, I think condemning him to an eternity of looking over his shoulder is actually quite generous of me. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough," she agreed with a nod, honestly not all that upset about it. Tyler _had_ cheated on her, after all. She was a blonde, not a saint. "I don't want my name involved, anyway."

"So you _do_ plan on keeping tonight a secret, then," he deduced, his tone a bit more accusatory than he'd intended as he felt a sudden ache in his chest at the thought of ever letting her go.

"Well, we can't exactly expect my friends to be like, 'Yay, Klaus!' overnight," she pointed out smartly. He simply nodded his head and looked away, resignedly accepting her answer while simultaneously questioning her decision to ever tell them at all. Frowning, she felt a rush of guilt go through her at the words unspoken between them. Sighing, she softened her tone and took his hand. "But I guess they'll just have to get over it." His eyes shot to hers and she could see shock reflected in them.

"So, you'll tell them, then?" he asked hopefully.

"I hadn't planned on posting it on Facebook or anything, but eventually, I'm sure I'll have to," she shrugged, really not looking forward to _that_ conversation. "I mean, Elena and Damon made it pretty fucking clear that they're never going to take anyone else into consideration," she commented bitterly, glaring off to the side. "Hypocrites."

"Then, why give them your allegiance at all?" Klaus asked bluntly. "Why not have me kill the lot of them? Or simply leave town with me? I could compel them to forget we ever existed."

Caroline sighed, knowing that answer while disliking it at the same time. "Because they're my friends and I love them even when they're assholes." Her eyes shot to his. "Not Damon," she specified, making him bite back a chuckle. "Speaking of," she sighed and ran her fingers through her snarled curls, sticky with dried sweat. "I wish there had been another way, but when I came to you, I knew that there wasn't. He would have kept using that sire bond on Elena until she burned the world to the ground just because he asked her to. Or, he could have told her to turn it off so they could go off on a murder spree together. Just because we did the right thing doesn't mean it wasn't still wrong. I know that's who you are, and I'm okay with that. You can have your plots and your schemes, but I don't want to be a part of them. I want to be good-"

"Caroline," he cut her off, eyes full of sincerity. "You could only ever be good. I told you once that you are strong, you're beautiful, you're full of light. You are _everything_ good. Not only don't I regret it, but I'd do it again to anyone who would dare harm you. I've enough evil in me for the both of us. And you're right; I _do_ enjoy it. I like the strategizing of my plots and schemes, as you call them, and I like making people fear me to protect those I love. If it keeps you safe, I'll be the hated one. Your happiness is worth being the the monster who goes bump in the night, provided you never see me that way-"

It was her turn to cut him off, leaning up to kiss him and pulling back with adoration shining in her eyes. "You could never be the villain of my story."

Klaus wrapped his arm tighter around her lower back, kissing her forehead. "I'm glad; but the reality is that most will see me that way and I genuinely do not care. It's a role I've perfected over the years, and one that I have learned to embrace out of necessity. You don't have to; you can be whoever you want to be because regardless of all it entails, I will be there to protect you for as long as you'll have me."

Caroline smiled at the sincerity in his eyes and words. Fluttering her eyelashes, she asked playfully, "And what if I change my mind tomorrow? What if I decide this was a one-night stand and discard of you completely?"

The blonde had said it as a joke, lips still puffy and cheeks slightly pink from their lovemaking. Still, he could hear the subtext there: _Would he still give her control tomorrow?_ Given their newfound pact of honesty, he decided to tell her the truth… in the same joking manner. Dimples creased into his cheeks as he responded, "Should it turned out you used me for my body, I would keep to the shadows and content myself to watching over you from a distance." He leaned down to peck her on the lips as she giggled sweetly, tucking a lose tendril behind her ear. "As you so eloquently put it, my feelings for you are obvious. But I _will_ respect whatever decision you make. As long as you want me, I'll be here."

The baby vampire smiled at the immortal hybrid. "Well, the way I feel right now, that's going to be a very long time." She leaned up and kissed him, every touch never seeming to be enough. "And I won't ever forget what you did, or why you did it, so I _am_ going to say it, just this once. Thank you."

Klaus took her hand and brushed his lips over the back of her knuckles. "You're welcome, sweetheart. We won't speak of it again. It can be our little secret."

Caroline nodded, satisfied that they were in a good place despite their tumultuous past. "Our secret," she repeated, settling her cheek against his shoulder and snuggling under the duvet, hand still in his as they rested over his stomach, fingers intertwined.

They would share a lot of secrets as they roamed the earth together for the next thousand years, and all the years after that, but their relationship wasn't one of them. Caroline came out to her friends less than a week later, unable to keep the shine from her cheeks and the glow from her aura. Despite their break up, Tyler was murderous. His fury lasted about two days until Hayley kept up her end of the bargain. They left town together and later died in New Orleans after some impossible plot involving a hybrid baby failed miserably, too bizarre to ever be believed. Elena had been livid and Stefan wouldn't even look at her, their emotions already heightened over the loss of his brother. Bonnie was more understanding, refusing to pick a side and splitting her time between the two vampires. Matt and Jeremy just shook their heads and looked the other way, grateful they would eventually grow old and wouldn't have to deal with teenage angst until the end of time.

Refusing to give up on her friends, Caroline insisted they stay in Mystic Falls and at least see the drama with Silas through to the end. Tensions finally began to cool when Klaus played the distraction for a change so Stefan could force the cure down the immortal's throat. No one had been thrilled about wasting the only dose on anyone other than the doppelganger, but there hadn't been a lot of options once they realized his plans involved dropping the veil to the Other Side. What finally put all their rivalries to bed was the Original's reluctant agreement to compelling Elena to break the sire bond and embrace her immortality. He may have taken her human life temporarily, but he saved her afterlife forever. It was at Caroline's behest, of course. He never did learn to deny her anything.

Once the dust had settled, Bonnie performed a locator spell now and then to confirm that Damon was still alive. She sent countless notes to his pockets over the years, but they never got a response. Klaus chuckled to himself every time the witch reached out to the lost Salvatore via magic, knowing the agony his memories of Mystic Falls would bring. Predictably, once Elena was no longer sired to Damon, she went back to her preferred brother. Shortly after she and Stefan married, Klaus and Caroline did, too. Once the town began to notice none of them were aging, they went their separate ways. The hybrid kept his promise to show his bride all that the world had to offer, his three remaining siblings occasionally joining them on their adventures. She lost touch with her friends after those who could die passed on, seeing Elena only a few times a century to reminisce about the days when they were human. Sometimes they brought their husbands and sometimes they didn't. No one ever mentioned Damon's name, but the lone hybrid knew his wife never forgot how they'd come together.

Klaus Mikaelson was a monster. He never denied it, and he proved it again and again over the years, but Caroline never left his side. She was the light to his dark and their love complemented each other perfectly. Their _lives_ weren't always perfect and their fights were epic and earth shattering. Despite all the trials and tribulations they faced, the loyalty they forged that night carried them through everything. The one truth they always knew was that he would do anything for her; all she had to do was ask.

The tales of the Original hybrid and his baby vampire were passed down through the centuries, their adventures the birth of legends. His brutality was rivaled only by her compassion. While he'd always valued a show of force, she taught him to garner loyalty through benevolence. Together, they conquered kingdoms and bore witness as empires rose and fell. They traveled the earth, delighting in each other and growing in love through every triumph and failure.

Despite the myths surrounding them, the one thing supernatural historians could never agree on was how their relationship came to be. Some said they met as immortals in New Orleans while others believed he turned her himself in the French countryside. As time marched on, some even claimed that she was an Original herself, so unbelievable was it that they'd ever spent a moment apart. They smiled through it all, never confirming or denying which of the legends were true.

The greatest story never told was the one of how Klaus and Caroline Mikaelson came together. Their little secret was that their love was born from her darkest sin, their bond forged in blood and sealed in loyalty. By granting her wish, he brought her back to the light. As terrifying as that evil deed had been, she took comfort in knowing that he would be there to chase away the shadows until the end of time. They didn't have to talk about it.

Love _always_ remembers.

**THE END**

* * *

A/N That's it, folks! Damon got what he deserved and Klaroline lived happily ever after. I'm really happy with how this one turned out, and I hope you are, too. I know it wasn't a long adventure, but I think it was an important topic to address. Damon is a shitbag. End of story. Anyway, I hope you had as much fun reading as I did writing. Thanks for coming along with me on this journey and please let me know what you think! (No concrit please!)


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